Smoking device with flattening function

The present application is a continuation of PCT/IB2023/052521 to Raichman, filed Mar. 15, 2023, entitled “Smoking device with flattening function,” which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/438,643 to Raichman, filed Jan. 12, 2023, entitled “Smoking device and capsule for use therewith,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus relating to smoking devices, and particularly apparatus and methods relating to heat-not-burn smoking devices.

Heat-not-burn smoking devices (also known as “smokeless” devices) are devices that heat a smoking material that contains active agents (e.g., a plant material, such as tobacco and/or a cannabinoid-containing plant material (such as marijuana), or a non-plant material) without burning the smoking material. The user sucks in vaporized active agents that are generated. Such devices have become popular in recent years, and in particular some users who previously smoked traditional cigarettes have switched to using such products.

In accordance with some applications of the present invention, a capsule is configured to be inserted in a smoking device. Typically, the capsule is a disposable capsule that is configured to be used during a single smoking session, whereas the smoking device is configured to be reusable. The capsule typically has the general structure (e.g., shape and size) of a traditional cigarette. Many users and manufacturers of such capsule and smoking devices have a preference for single-use capsules having the general structure of a traditional cigarette, due to (a) habitual preferences of the users, (b) habitual preferences of the manufacturers, (c) production lines of the manufacturers being best-equipped to manufacture such capsules relative to capsules that differ from traditional cigarettes, (d) single-use capsules being more hygienic than capsules that are designed for repeated use, and/or (e) additional reasons.

Typically, the capsule includes a first portion that contains a smoking material (that contains active agents) and a heating element. The smoking material is typically a plant material, such as tobacco and/or a cannabinoid-containing plant material (such as marijuana). For some applications, the smoking material is a non-plant material that contains active agents. The smoking device is configured to heat the smoking material, such as to generate vapors containing active agents within the smoking material in a heat-not-burn manner. The user typically sucks the generated vapors out of a second portion of the capsule that functions as a mouthpiece.

As described hereinabove in the Background, heat-not-burn smoking devices (also known as “smokeless” devices) are devices that heat a smoking material without burning (i.e., pyrolyzing) the smoking material. The user sucks in vaporized active agents that are generated. An important element in heat-not-burn smoking devices is the time that it takes to heat the smoking material and the uniformity of the heating. The time that it takes to heat up the smoking material is defined by the following equation:

There are several challenges to heating up smoking material in a heat-not-burn process, including the following:

In accordance with some applications of the present invention, apparatus and methods are provided that (a) provide a relatively large area of contact between the heating element and the smoking material (i.e., A in Equation 1), and (b) provide a relatively small distance between the heating element and the smoking material even at the radial center of the capsule (i.e., d in Equation 1), while (c) providing the user with a capsule having the same general structure as a traditional cigarette.

Typically, the heating element is built-in to the capsule, such that it is in direct contact with smoking material. For some applications, at least some of the heating element is embedded within the smoking material, as described in further detail hereinbelow. For some applications, the heating element comprises a metal material (such as metallic foil, e.g., stainless steel foil, nickel-titanium foil, titanium foil, copper foil, aluminum foil, steel foil), which is typically disposed within the capsule and/or is typically in direct contact with the smoking material, and that is heated via electrical resistive heating, as described in further detail hereinbelow. Alternatively or additionally, the heating element comprises one or more magnetically-heated materials that are susceptible to being heated by a magnetic field (such as, magnetic materials and/or ferromagnetic materials), which are typically disposed within the capsule and/or are typically in direct contact with smoking material and that are heated via magnetic induction, as described in further detail hereinbelow.

Typically, the capsule is an elongate capsule. For some applications, the capsule has a length of between 15 mm and 150 mm (e.g., between 50 mm and 90 mm). For some applications, the capsule has the same general structure as a traditional cigarette, but differs from the general structure of a cigarette in that the capsule is provided to the user with at least a portion of the capsule having a shape that is flattened relative to a traditional cigarette (e.g., such that it has an elliptical, rectangular, pill-shaped, or racetrack-shaped cross-sectional shape). Typically, by being flattened, the smoking material that is disposed toward the radial center of the capsule is disposed closer to the heating element than if the capsule had a circular cross section with a similar cross-sectional area, as described in further detail hereinbelow. Alternatively, the capsule is provided to the user with a circular cross-section shape, typically having a diameter of between 4 mm and 12 mm (e.g., between 5 and 8.5 mm). Typically, for such applications, although the capsule is provided to the user with the capsule having a circular cross-sectional shape, at least a portion of the capsule is flattened upon being inserted into the smoking device (e.g., such that it has an elliptical, rectangular, pill-shaped, or racetrack-shaped cross-sectional shape), such that the smoking material that was disposed toward the radial center of the capsule is disposed closer to the heating element than it would have been before being flattened, as described in further detail hereinbelow.

For some applications, the smoking device includes two or more electrodes that are configured (a) to heat a heating element that is disposed within the capsule via electrical resistive heating, and (b) to apply mechanical pressure to the capsule in order to flatten all or part of the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

There is therefore provided, in accordance with some applications of the present invention, apparatus for use with a smoking device, the apparatus including:

In some applications, the capsule has a circular cross-sectional shape and is configured to be flattened to define a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the capsule includes a collapse-prevention element disposed along a portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material, the collapse-prevention element being configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the capsule includes two or more cylindrical collapse-prevention elements disposed at respective ends of a portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material, the cylindrical collapse-prevention elements being configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include one or more magnetically-heated materials that are susceptible to being heated by a magnetic field.

In some applications, the portion of the capsule is configured to be inserted into a coil that has a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the portion of the capsule is configured to be flattened while the portion of the capsule is disposed within a coil.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include a metallic foil that is configured to be heated via resistive heating.

In some applications, the smoking device includes two or more electrodes that are configured to drive an electrical current through the metallic foil, and the capsule is configured to be flattened by the two or more electrodes.

In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 1 micron and 20 microns. In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 3 microns and 10 microns.

In some applications, the capsule includes an elongate capsule having a length of between 15 mm and 150 mm. In some applications, the elongate capsule has a length of between 50 mm and 90 mm.

In some applications, the capsule is configured to be flattened such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 2:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape. In some applications, the capsule is configured to be flattened such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 3:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape. In some applications, the capsule is configured to be flattened such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 4:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape. In some applications, the capsule is configured to be flattened such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 6:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of the present invention, apparatus for use with a smoking device, the apparatus including:

In some applications, the elongate capsule is manufactured such as to define the cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 2:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the elongate capsule includes a collapse-prevention element disposed along a portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material, the collapse-prevention element being configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the elongate capsule includes two or more cylindrical collapse-prevention elements disposed at respective ends of a portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material, the collapse-prevention elements being configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include one or more magnetically-heated materials that are susceptible to being heated by a magnetic field.

In some applications, the elongate capsule has a length of between 15 mm and 150 mm. In some applications, the elongate capsule has a length of between 50 mm and 90 mm.

In some applications, the elongate capsule is manufactured such as to define a cylindrical shape and at least a portion of the capsule is configured to be flattened by the smoking device such as to define the cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 2:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape, prior to the one or more heating elements being heated by the smoking device.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include one or more magnetically-heated materials that are susceptible to being heated by a magnetic field.

In some applications, the portion of the capsule is configured to be inserted into a coil that has a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the portion of the capsule is configured to be flattened while the portion of the capsule is disposed within a coil.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include a metallic foil that is configured to be heated via resistive heating.

In some applications, the smoking device includes two or more electrodes that are configured to drive an electrical current through the metallic foil, and the capsule is configured to be flattened by the two or more electrodes.

In some applications, at least when the one or more heating elements are being heated by the smoking device, the elongate capsule is configured such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 3:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape. In some applications, at least when the one or more heating elements are being heated by the smoking device, the elongate capsule is configured such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 4:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape. In some applications, at least when the one or more heating elements are being heated by the smoking device, the elongate capsule is configured such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 6:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include a metallic foil that is configured to be heated via resistive heating. In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 1 micron and 20 microns. In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 3 microns and 10 microns.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of the present invention, apparatus for use with a smoking device, the apparatus including:

In some applications, at least part of the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material is configured to be flattened by the smoking device and the collapse-prevention element is configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when at least part of the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material is flattened by the smoking device.

In some applications, the collapse-prevention element is configured to diffuse one or more chemicals. In some applications, the collapse-prevention element includes a phase-change material that is configured to prevent the temperature of the smoking material from exceeding the phase-change temperature of the phase-change material. In some applications, the collapse-prevention element is configured to absorb chemicals that are generated by pyrolysis of the smoking material.

In some applications, the capsule includes two or more cylindrical collapse-prevention elements disposed at respective ends of a portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material, the collapse-prevention elements being configured to prevent the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the collapse-prevention element is configured to facilitate adequate airflow through the capsule by preventing the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the one or more heating elements include one or more magnetically-heated materials that are susceptible to being heated by a magnetic field.

In some applications, the capsule is manufactured such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 2:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the smoking device includes two or more electrodes, and the one or more heating elements include a metallic foil that is configured to be heated via resistive heating via the two or more electrodes.

In some applications, the collapse-prevention element is configured to facilitate electrical contact between the two or more electrodes and the metallic foil by preventing the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material from collapsing when mechanical pressure is applied to the portion of the capsule that contains the smoking material.

In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 1 micron and 20 microns. In some applications, the metallic foil has a thickness of between 3 microns and 10 microns.

In some applications, at least a portion of the capsule is configured to be flattened by the smoking device prior to the one or more heating elements being heated by the smoking device. In some applications, the capsule has a circular cross-sectional shape and is configured to be flattened to define a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

In some applications, the capsule is configured to be flattened such as to define a cross-sectional shape having a ratio of more than 2:1 between a long side of the cross-sectional shape and a short side of the cross-sectional shape.